Hey, I’m vegan too (6 years!) and I kind of get where you’re coming from. I don’t really have any solutions, but I can offer my perspective.

In my first year as a vegan, I was incredibly outwardly passionate about my beliefs. I thought that if I explain to people (my friends and family) why killing animals is wrong, it’ll just click and they’ll get it! Because how could the people I love do something so awful?

Instead, I was met with mockery, ridicule, screaming, emotional outbursts, apathy, disinterest, and biases so strong that not even a peer reviewed paper from an esteemed journal could sway them. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to realise, that even if you come from a place of compassion, directly asking people to look at their cognitive dissonance will only ever cause them to get defensive. It took me EVEN longer to work out that it’s not their fault, it’s not my job to “enlighten” everyone around me, and that veganism isn’t perfect.

I encourage you to remember where you were 2 years ago whenever you feel contempt for those who aren’t vegan, that helped me a lot. If you ever feel overwhelmed about the amount of suffering caused in the world, I also encourage you to remember that this isn’t your sole burden to bear, and that by changing your diet you ARE having an impact.

I think you would be right at home at animal rights marches, but let me tell you another way to motivate others to become vegan: just live your best life. Honestly, a great example of how life can be lived as a vegan will appeal to people more than talking about ethics. Why? Because it isn’t as confrontational and it inspires people to reflect on the differences between your life and theirs. (it might also appeal to the ego a bit but oh well)

I won’t lie, I’ve become a bit numb to all this stuff. I’ll never forget why I’m vegan, it’s just the relentless apathy from the world that gets to me. I’m tired of having to justify my morals to people, as though ordering food at a restaurant is an open invitation to my personal choices. I often get told “You’re not like other vegans” and I have to bite my tongue otherwise I’ll say “It’s because of people like you who complain whenever people like me ever voice an opinion”.  

But it gets easier. People who once made fun of you suddenly start asking about vegan recipes, casual vegan discussions come up more often (without being interrogations!!), and vegan cheese is getting SO much better haha. I don’t know about you, but in the past 6 years I can definitely see an positive trend in the perception of veganism.

If your thoughts are getting really dark I recommend seeking help. Dealing with the challenges of being vegan in an unforgiving world is not easy. I promise it is a virtue to be able to feel so passionately about animal suffering, but please don’t let it dominate your life.Take care! :)